Loki cursed himself a thousand times over, truly ashamed. How could he have such lack of control? He had put some of his best men to death for such actions. The girl, Darcy, was not the most beautiful mortal he had ever seen, but something about her brought out a monster Loki tried keeping on a tight leash.
At present, she was yet again laying on his bed. Dawn was approaching fast and the god had yet to decide what to do with his pet. Darcy could get into his head and, subconsciously or not, that made letting her leave out of the realm of possibilities. Should he let her go back to her job? Or simply keep her here? While the thought brought some delicious images to mind, he knew without much deliberation that the former would end up happening. She did her work well and Jane would stop pestering him.
A beam of light darted into his room as the sun rose and with an annoyed flick of his wrist, the heavy curtain covered the window. It seemed Loki was too late as a low groan sounded from his bed. Darcy grumbled incoherently before pulling herself upright. A bath sounded so good right now. She knew it had to have been days since her last. Well, she thought to herself, time to get to work.
Fully opening her eyes, the events of the past two days came crashing back to Darcy. The attack in the last room she cleaned, waking up in bed with the God of Mischief, the snake, his pure anger at her mocking, and the terrible humiliation as he nearly took everything from her. Darcy quickly looked around, knowing she was not alone.
Loki leaned against the wall separating his room from the hallway. Yet again he felt disgust as so many emotions briefly covered her face. He slipped into the shadows, knowing it would worry her even more to know someone was there but be unable to see them.
"I know you're there!" Darcy's voice rang out across the room, hitching slightly in thinly concealed fear. Even as she told herself to be brave, she scrunched up farther into the bed.
"Of course I am." The god's velvet words could have come from anywhere, but before she could look around there was a yank on her arm and it seemed the whole world was spinning. Darcy let out a high squeal before her feet finally touched the ground. It took a moment for her vision to come back to her. When it did, she realized she was back in the servant quarters. The bathing area to be precise.
"You could have just told me I needed one, asshole," Darcy mumbled to herself before stripping down. The water was so soothing and with the events of last night, she decided that some major prolonged soaking was needed. The pain in her breast was slowly being ebbed away by the hot water.
"Darcy!" Her eyes snapped open at the urgent tone. Jane Foster was quickly darting around the various other servants in the bathing room. The worried look on her face caused Darcy to reluctantly remove herself from the pool. She had barely wrapped the towel around her body before she was pulled into a crushing hug. "I just got the news! I'm so happy you're being allowed to stay!"
"What do you mean?" Darcy frowned. Being allowed to stay?
Jane's smile dipped somewhat in confusion. "Well…Master Loki ordered your dismissal yesterday. But he just came to me retracting the demand!" Yet again Darcy found the woman's surprising grip around herself. The frown deepened. What had she done that warranted dismissal? Anger that had cooled during her soak reignited with a passion.
"I'm going to familiarize myself with the grounds. Thank you for the concern Jane." Darcy hugged the slightly older woman before putting her clothes back on and exiting the bathing room. As she wandered the giant building, the anger kept flaring higher and higher. She had done nothing! Eventually Darcy found herself pushing open a door to the back terrace. Everything was covered with snow a foot high and it was still coming down hard. She rejoiced in the cold weather; it had always been easier to simmer down in, almost like the chill soothed the flames of her burning emotions. It was just past midday when the blue-eyed beauty could think straight again. The nerve of that bastard to try to make her leave for no reason!
It was well within my rights considering the way you addressed me. Darcy gasped, falling off the bench she had been leaning on. So caught up in her musing, the sensation of him slipping into her mind had not registered. You are perhaps the clumsiest person I have ever met.
The anger that Darcy had managed to reign in came back full force and before she could stop herself, the response resonated through both their minds. You are nothing more than a spoiled brat who likes to break his toys simply because he can. She slapped her hands over her mouth as if the words were said aloud. This was not going to end well.
True to her prediction, there was a shaking in the ground she still sat upon. The snow swirling to the ground changed its direction and gathered in a tall mass before her. Then it scattered at all angles revealing the imposing and very angry God of Mischief. If looks could kill, Darcy would be sinking into the soil beneath her. When he started moving forward, she scrambled to her feet.
As much as she didn't want things to get worse, her mouth had a mind of its own. "I haven't done anything you over entitled child! I've been here three days and look what you've done! If anything you should be apologizing, not terrorizing those who serve you! Is this how you treat all your servants? Like we're nothing but a source of mild entertainment when pressed too far?!" By the end of her screeching, Darcy was less than a foot away from him, huffing from the amount of adrenalin being produced. If Loki was angry before, he was positively murderous now.
What did she think gave her the right to talk back like that? A lowly mortal with no special talent except infuriating him. She was shaking in her boots, from the cold in part. There was fire in her eyes like the first time they had fought and he found himself wondering what she would do with that fire is pushed farther. Loki opened his mouth to respond but to both their shock her small hand collided with his cheek with more force than seemed possible with her lack of defined muscle. He looked back at the short girl in front of him, honestly too stunned to react. Her blue eyes got bigger and bigger before she abruptly spun around and made a beeline for the doors.
Once safely back inside, Darcy maneuvered herself to the servant quarters. Running through the halls, she didn't see the red headed woman until she rammed into her. "I'm so sorry!" Darcy struggled to get up from the floor, her legs weak from adrenalin. "Just having one of those frazzled days you know!" Romanoff (if she remembered correctly) looked impassive as she got off the floor.
"You're the one everyone's been chattering about. Is any of it true?" Darcy gave her a confused look. Is any of what true? Romanoff caught the bewilderment of her face and elaborated. "Apparently some people believe you were in Master Loki's chambers for nearly two days." Darcy was sure her face would catch fire any second now. Opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water, she tried to think of the right words to respond with. Somehow through her floundering, she managed to calmly reply.
"As my job is cleaning, Master Loki believed it best that his room be touched up. He saw what a fantastic job I had done with the study and guest rooms so he decided I would be the best choice." Those were certainly not her words. Before she could contemplate where they had come from, the red head threw out an amused smile.
"You know, you lie almost as good as he does." With that, the deadly woman continued to whatever place she had been heading to before running into Darcy. Said girl remained in her place, gaping until Romanoff disappeared around the corner. Shaking her head ruefully, the blue-eyed woman stalked off to the servants ward.
As soon as she pushed open the door, she wished she hadn't; every woman was giving her some form of unhappy glare. Some were disapproving, others envious, and a few were downright hateful. Shame filled her, even though she knew they all had the wrong idea. Walking to her bed was a challenge and twice she had been tripped . the shame was replaced with annoyance. They were acting like children! Darcy squared her shoulders and marched over to her bed, intending to get sleep during the eight hours before her shift. However, it seemed her gracious roommates had other plans.
Darcy soon found the covers ripped off of her and a strong grip throwing her from the bed. She got to her feet immediately, anger pumping into her yet again. A tall, beautiful blonde haired woman was standing before her, pure hate causing her glare to invoke images of sharp objects.
"So you're the harlot Master has chosen to warm his bed? I would have thought he had better taste!" A shrill, painfully fake laugh escaped the other servant's bright red lips.
Darcy's eyebrows shot to her hairline. "Harlot? Me? Aren't those usually blonde and annoying?" To her delight, the taller woman stopped laughing.
"Look, since you're new here, I'll just explain some things. Master Loki is mine. It was surely a lapse of judgment that he chose you!" By now they were toe to toe and trying to seem as threatening as possible.
Before Darcy could respond, there was a collective gasp that echoed from the room and the belligerent woman in front of her looked like she swallowed a bug. The short woman turned around, already knowing what everyone was staring at. The God of Mischief was standing close behind her, clad in incredibly intimidating armor complete with an awe-inspiring helmet with two great horns extending from it. His eyes were trained on the blonde servant with a calm look Darcy knew was deceptive. Rage was leaking into her mind from the link and she worried that he might actually kill the blonde woman. The will and capability were certainly there.
Unfortunately, Lynn ( Darcy snatched the name from her master's memory) did not seem to pick up on the unpleasant emotions flowing off of the god. The woman swaggered up to him with a coy smile on her face. "I'm so glad to see you master Loki." She bowed low, showing a disgusting amount of her breasts. "I was just explaining how things around here work to the new one. She was a little confused." At this Lynn gave the blue-eyed woman an amused glance, much like one would give to a child who talks about something they know nothing of.
Something in Darcy seemed to suddenly relax. This woman was making a fool of herself! The servants around her had turned their disapproving looks towards her and Loki looked like he wanted to vomit at the sight. Come here. The command echoed in her mind and she did so not upon her own will. He wrapped an arm around her waist and looked at her with an intensity that stole her breath away. Darcy felt her skin crawl as his head hipped closer to her own, knowing what he intended to do and why. There was no affection and no desire, just an immature urge to crush the hopes of the blonde servant.
Loki's lips sealed over her own while his hand gripped tightly at her hair. There were loud gasps around her as they looked at the supposedly passionate display. Her master pulled away with a triumphant expression and threw a smug look Lynn's way. The woman looked ready to pop with the anger coursing through her. Darcy opened her mouth to say something but no words came to mind. Thankfully, she was spared from stammering out a response when the doors opened and the servants from the previous shift came pouring in. Some of them walked quietly to their beds or to the bathing area while others openly stopped and stared at their god standing among them.
Loki smirked at the confused and disapproving looks around the room. This should make a fitting punishment for her insolence earlier. "Well ladies, I have some more pressing matters to attend to elsewhere. Please enjoy the rest of your evening," With one last devious grin towards his pet, the trickster willed himself to the place he would be dealing with such matters.
Darcy gaped at the now empty spot in front of her. He just left? After that? Her shock turned to frustration. He left her knowing exactly how unhappy the other servant was with her! You know what? I hate you. I really hate you. Amusement was her only response. Not waiting for the other woman to attack, Darcy hurried over to the brunette woman who was yet again barking out orders to the servants reading for their shifts.
"I don't suppose you can use one more worker this afternoon?" The scrutiny suddenly upon her was unnerving.
"Don't worry Miss Hill, she can tag along with me." The apathetic voice of Natasha Romanoff seemed to be enough for Hill as she nodded and instructed them that they would be in the weapons vault. With a quick thank you, Darcy scurried after the red head.
"I'm sorry you had to deal with that weasel of a woman Lynn. I've been trying to convince Foster to get rid of her for years now." Romanoff seemed like she was attempting small talk rather than actually caring whom the young woman had encountered. Darcy gave an equally uncaring shrug as she was led to the weapons vault. "I doubt you've ever received any formal training, but for the sake of curiosity, what would be your favourite type of weapon?"
Darcy pursed her lips and thought for a moment. "Anything long range I suppose. The farther away from your enemy the better, right?" She felt self-conscious as amusement flash in the other woman's eyes but it quickly faded at her next words.
"I do believe you'd get along well with my husband. He's an archer for Master Loki's army and those words have been repeated many times to me." Warmth briefly touched her eyes before they faded back to emptiness. "I want you to take inventory; it's protocol before and after shifts." Darcy nodded, took the parchment with the list of items, and set off to log all the impressive artifacts. Some seemed centuries old, others were quite new and likely from this last war. An hour later everything was accounted for so the blue-eyed woman went about her usual job and cleaned the dusty surfaces in the massive room.
When the impressive grandfather clock by the back window rang for nine, Darcy felt her stomach plummet. One of the more ancient weapons, a bronze word with countless gems in the hilt, was missing. She quickly darted around, looking for Romanoff but not daring to call out her name. Relief filled her as a flash of red passed several yards away; however, terror seized her when a hand covered with a damp cloth clamped over her face.
Darcy started flailing wildly, trying to escape the tight grasp. Her limbs began to grow heavy as the stager pulled her towards to the now open back window. With one last jerk, she managed to kick over the grandfather clock before being fully pulled out of the room. The last thing the woman saw as she slipped out of consciousness was the tiny snowflakes floating past the beautiful full moon.